Page 11 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
June had replied.
Thank you. Oli was worried, but this made him smile. He says Herbert looks cozy.
Stanley smiled, rereading the message twice. He could almost picture Oli saying the wordcozy, voice careful, deliberate. And he imagined June standing beside him, reading the message aloud or letting her son take comfort in the picture on his own terms.
Anytime,he replied.Happy to send more updates if it helps.
Another pause. Then she replied,
That would be lovely. Thank you again.
Stanley needed nothing more than that.
She’d let him in, just a little.
Stanley placed his phone on the desk, the screen still glowing.
He stared at the words for a long moment and then drained his coffee cup and stood up.
Time to go home.
Alone.
But if he had his way, soon he’d have June and Oli to go home to.
And for that, he could not wait.
Chapter Four – June
The scent of simmering soup filled the kitchen as June stood at the stove, slowly stirring the pot. Her eyes drifted to the table, where Oli sat with his sketchbook open in front of him. He was hunched over the page with single-minded focus, tongue tucked into the corner of his mouth, the tip of his pencil darkening Herbert’s soft fur with careful shading.
She didn’t speak. Didn’t dare break the spell.
His shoulders were relaxed. His breath was even. He wasn’t fidgeting, or humming, or bouncing in his seat.
It was the most settled she’d seen him in weeks. The move to Bear Creek had been hard for him. The very idea of giving up his normal routine, when he’d learned of June’s plans to move to Bear Creek, had caused a slow and, at times, unstoppable spiral.
But it had stopped.
The moment Stanley had said the wordslost rabbit, something in Oli had shifted. It was as if he’d felt a deep, unspoken connection to the animal.
Maybe because that was how he often felt himself.
Lost.
June bit down on her lower lip and swallowed the lump in her throat.
She turned back to the stove, giving the soup another gentle stir as she blinked back tears. She was so proud of him. Not just because of his empathy toward the rabbit, but because he’d openly communicated with Stanley, even though he was a stranger.
That was unusual for Oli. Not that he couldn’t speak to people, it was that he rarely felt safe enough to. Especially not with new adults. Especially not men.
But today, something had been different.
She gave a mental snort. Oli wasn’t the only one. Ever since his father had rejected them, leaving June to raise their son alone, she’d been wary. And not just of strangers.
As Oli got older, and it became obvious he wasn’t developing the way other children did, some of June’s oldest friends had quietly started stepping back. Invitations to birthday parties stopped arriving. She was no longer included in weekend coffee groups or community events.
At first, it had stung. Then it had hollowed her out.
